Rep. Gannon calls for a vigilante uprising

MADISON – Today, Representative Bob Gannon released a statement saying, “Wisconsin does not have a death penalty law, but with significant practice and careful aim, law abiding citizens can help clean our society of these scum bags.” Rep. Chris Taylor (D-Madison) released the following statement:

“I am appalled by the dangerous rhetoric Representative Gannon chose to use in his press release. The incident at East Towne Mall was scary, but the answer is not to add more people with guns to the mix, and certainly not to call for private citizens to ‘shoot center mass.’ Representative Gannon is living in a James Bond dream world. If more guns made us safer, we would be the safest country in the world. We should be making guns like the one used at East Towne Mall more difficult to obtain for those who abuse the law.

“Representative Gannon can keep repeating the same Fox talking points, but they are not grounded in fact. A recent Stanford study shows that right to carry laws are associated with significant increases in violent crime. The United States has a higher firearm homicide rate than any other developed country because of its broken gun safety laws.

“Representative Gannon should recognize that it is possible to keep our communities safe while respecting the rights of law-abiding gun owners. The public overwhelmingly supports common-sense gun safety laws, like universal background checks and a ban on military-style assault weapons. As United States Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia so aptly noted in his majority opinion in District of Columbia v. Heller, ‘[i]t is not a right to keep and carry any weapon whatsoever in any manner whatsoever and for whatever purpose.’

“Representative Gannon also makes a dangerous and misguided call for guns to be available on our college campuses. Our campus administrators, law enforcement, faculty, and students don’t want weapons on campus, as campuses are generally safe places for students to learn. I for one am glad that Representative Gannon doesn’t shop at retailers where he can’t bring his gun – I think we’re all a little bit safer because of it.”